Our Story

From left to right: Bartlett Durand, Head Butcher Dave Gathy, General Manager Rhonda Goehl Slinde | photo by Thomas Kirchen

The Conscious Carnivore, in Madison, Wisconsin, is a whole animal butcher shop that provides expertise to help customers be more knowledgeable about what and how they eat. The store on University Avenue was the first retail outlet for Black Earth Meats (Black Earth, Wisconsin), the first humane certified, USDA processor in the area. With the growing demand of Madison-area consumers for grass fed beef and pastured pork, The Conscious Carnivore opened with a mission to educate the home cook.

At The Conscious Carnivore, customers find meat that is locally-sourced, healthy, and handled with respect. From local animal sourcing to on-site, high quality butchering and packaging, The Conscious Carnivore can ensure organically-raised, grass fed, and healthy meats through its small group of local farmers. All animals are sourced from Wisconsin, and since the closing of the Black Earth facility, we work with local, state-inspected abattoirs to ensure our animals are slaughtered humanely.

While we can’t source local ocean fish, we are working with a Madison-area fisherman who brings back his catch from Alaska. You will appreciate the quality, flavor, and care of Bering Bounty’s salmon, cod, and other fish.

We encourage you to talk with our staff about antibiotics in animal agriculture (and why we are against them), heritage breeds, and local sourcing. Work through your recipes and menus with us — we are here to help! Pull up a chair, grab a coffee, and read through our library. Kids are welcome to color at our big kitchen table and we are always happy to connect with you.

We believe it is time to recapture the power of cooking, of connecting with family and friends over a home cooked meal. As we say, “Let’s slow down and eat good food!”